Piecing Together an Online Safety Plan

WASHINGTON - The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) today hosted Putting the Pieces Together: Building a Comprehensive Online Safety Plan, a European conference which featured Internet safety experts from across the globe who discussed key components of building a robust online safety plan. Countries all over the world see online safety education as a critical and significant issue, particularly as many are focused on increasing broadband access. The event was co-hosted by the Spanish telecom company, Telefonica and sponsored by AT&T, RuleSpace, and Nominum.

The conference consisted of a series of sessions moderated by Internet experts. Topics of discussion included: Online Responsibility and Safer ICT Use – Does the Self Regulatory Framework Promote 21st Century Citizenship?; Taking Control of Your Data – Staying Safe while Social Networking, Micro-blogging & Photo Sharing; The New Breed of Location Services – Privacy and Safety Concerns for Children and Young People; and How can We Better Promote the Safer Use of ICTs in Latin American Countries.

"In order to establish a comprehensive approach we need to incorporate robust industry self-regulation, effective tools, enhanced education and cross-sector partnerships," said Stephen Balkam, CEO of FOSI. "This conference demonstrated what can be achieved when all pull together to realize a culture of responsibility online."

"As one of the world's largest telecommunications companies with a presence in 25 nations, Telefónica understands the importance of promoting safe and responsible online use, especially for young people," said Julio Linares, CEO of Telefónica. "We commend FOSI's continued dedication to promoting this pressing topic at an international level."

"Making the Internet safe is a global concern and we congratulate and support FOSI for their global activities," said Dorothy Attwood, senior vice president for public policy and AT&T Chief Privacy Officer. "AT&T will continue to work with NGOs such as FOSI and other stakeholders to develop innovative solutions to keep our families safe in this new and exciting online world."

Julio Linares, CEO of Telefonica and Francisco Ros, Secretary of State for Telecommunications for the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade for the Government of Spain gave keynote speeches at today's event.

The European Conference was held at Telefonica, Auditorio Distrito C, Ronda de la Comunicacion S/N, Madrid. For more information, please visit http://www.fosi.org/index.php/events.html.

About FOSI

The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safer for kids and their families by identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods that also respect free speech. FOSI’s members include: AOL, AT&T, Blue Coat Systems, BT Retail, Comcast, Facebook, France Telecom, Google, GSM Association, Kingston Communications, Loopt, Microsoft, MySpace, NCTA, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, RuleSpace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, Time Warner Cable, Telefónica, TELMEX, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon, Yahoo!. FOSI hosts an annual international conference to bring together Internet safety advocates from a variety of sectors, including global corporations, government, non-profits, academia and the media, to discuss the current pulse of online safety and emerging solutions that will enhance it. For more information, please visit www.fosi.org.